


Drowning in the Shallow End

by geekgirlhope



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Mild Language, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2012-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-21 04:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/593216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekgirlhope/pseuds/geekgirlhope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The whole situation was ridiculous. And Stiles wondered how he had ended up there, in the pool, attempting to keep Derek’s head above water when the guy was basically 180 pounds of dead weight. </i>
</p><p>Short fic based off of  <a href="http://ayaneninja.tumblr.com/post/26018767433/underwater-sterek/">this</a> beautiful fanart.</p><p>Set during 2x04: Abomination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drowning in the Shallow End

The whole situation was ridiculous. And Stiles wondered how he had ended up there, in the pool, attempting to keep Derek’s head above water when the guy was basically 180 pounds of dead weight.

And then Derek had the fucking nerve to say that he didn’t trust Stiles, and to proclaim that Stiles didn’t trust Derek, and that he knew the only reason Stiles was keeping him from drowning was because he needed Derek to protect him from the lizard-monster-dude-thing.

But the thing was, Derek was wrong. He might not trust Stiles, but Stiles trusted him. Trusted him with his life, because Derek had saved it on multiple occasions now, and Stiles trusted Derek to keep on saving it.

It’s what they did; Stiles would mouth off, Derek would either try to intimidate him or roll his eyes in exasperation, then they would save each other’s lives and start the whole process over again.

So yeah, he fucking trusted Derek, and he had thought Derek trusted him too.

But in that moment Stiles’ trust was superseded by how fucking pissed off he was. Fuck Derek Hale, he could take his lack of fucking trust and shove it right up his ass.

Keeping Derek above water for those two fucking hours hadn’t been about his own damn survival, and it sure hadn’t been a fucking picnic either, it had been common fucking decency and it was obvious to Stiles that Derek didn’t fucking have any.

So, fuck him.

Something had to change, and change quick.

Even though it went against every protective instinct he had, Stiles let go of Derek. He watched silently as Derek sputtered and sank to the bottom of the pool. The urge to immediately dive after him was so overwhelming, but Stiles had to get to his phone before… well, he hadn’t wanted to think about what would have happened if he didn’t get to his phone. 

Stiles swam as best he could toward the edge, which wasn’t all that great given how fucking exhausted he was from treading water for well over two hours. Stiles had almost made it to the edge of the pool when he saw the lizard creature (and really, what the fuck was his life even that there were lizard creatures in it?) was there waiting for him.

At that moment everything boiled down to getting his phone and getting back to Derek, hopefully in time.

Stiles went for it, grabbing the phone, and thankfully avoiding lizard boy and his delightful claws of paralysis. If he hadn’t been so fucking tired he would’ve high-fived himself, regardless, there may have been mental fist-bumps.  

Quickly, he speed-dialed Scott, making his way back to where he had let Derek go at the same time. Stiles hoped Derek was okay, and still with him, and not going to rip his throat out, with his teeth, when or if, and at that point it was big ‘if’, they got out of there.

And then Scott, the fucker, hung up on Stiles before he even got the chance to say two words. Motherfucker! If Stiles and Derek died and were eaten by the obvious rip off of the ‘Lizard’ from Spider-man because of Scott and his Allison bullshit, Stiles vowed that he was never forgive Scott, and would come back to haunt Scott’s ass for all eternity.

But right then Derek was a greater concern then plaguing Scott’s existence. He would get Derek, and he would be okay. Stiles prayed that he would be okay, and that someone, preferably a wolf or someone with a taser, would find them and they’d make it out of the goddamned pool.

At that moment, what Stiles wanted more than anything was to be dry and out of the pool. And then Derek could go back to growling and being an all around non-trusting dick, and then everything would be normal again, or as normal as it got anymore.

Stiles called upon all the reserves of energy and determination that he had left, before taking a deep breath and forcing his body to move, to dive, to get him to Derek.

But when he had gotten to Derek, he wasn’t moving. Which  _dur_ , paralyzed and all, but he  _really_ wasn’t moving.

Desperately hoping that he hadn’t made a mistake in letting go of Derek, Stiles grabbed his shirt, pulling Derek toward him. Bringing their mouths together, Stiles forced air into Derek’s mouth.

After a moment, which felt like an eternity to Stiles, Derek’s lips started to move, pressing against Stiles, attempting to get as much of what Stiles was offering as he could.

Stiles had been so relieved that Derek was alive and that he hadn’t drowned, that it had taken him a few seconds to realize, that even though he was giving much needed air to Derek, they were, in fact, kissing.

Derek’s lips, warm against Stiles chilled ones, moved trying to draw in more air, but Stiles instinctively knew that what was happening had been about more than the need for air. Though the exchange had been frenetic, there had also been the impression of reverence.   

It had been Stiles first kiss, and that was  _not_  how Stiles had pictured it happening.  _At all_. His first kiss was supposed to be with Lydia. And Fuck! Stiles had wondered if Lydia was still waiting for him. He would find out later that she hadn’t been.

But then Derek’s lips started to move slower, with more intent, and his tongue touched the bottom edge of Stiles lip. And in that moment all thoughts of Lydia, and lizard boy, and Scott, and just everything outside of where their lips were pressed together was forgotten, and Stiles had felt his face heat in the cold water of the pool.  

As nice as kissing Derek had been, and it was  _very_  nice, Stiles lungs began to burn, and that was a problem.

Getting a better hold on Derek’s shirt, Stiles kicked up and they broke the surface. Stiles held Derek to his chest tightly, just so fucking happy to be alive and able to breathe again.  

Derek, of course, had immediately asked if Stiles had gotten a hold of Scott. That being the whole reason for his underwater interlude in the first place, which had reminded Stiles of how very fucking dire the situation they were in was and how very fucking much his body had hurt and ached.

Later, when his body simply couldn’t do it anymore and they were sinking into the pool’s depths, Stiles remembered thinking that he might be dying a virgin, but at least he had been kissed.

But before he could even finish the thought, Scott had pulled them out of the pool, and fought off lizard boy, and then they were relatively safe again, and it was all over.

Later, as they were talking of Kanimas and abominations and the creature not knowing what it was, all Stiles could think of was what it had felt like to have Derek’s lips against his, and what that might mean, and how it had made him feel.

Stiles had wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing, given how unreal it all had seemed. Except, he knew it had happened, that it had been real, because Derek had given him a look, a look that said things that Stiles wasn’t sure he was ready to hear yet.

Because he trust Derek with his life, but that didn’t mean he was ready to trust him with his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> also posted to my [tumblr](http://geekgirlhope.tumblr.com/post/37902075250/fanart-inspired-sterek-ficlet).
> 
> un-beta'd, so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Thank you for reading


End file.
